The new Netflix medical drama Pulse, starring Reacher’s Willa Fitzgerald, is insanely addictive. This medical drama is soapy but not in the classic prime-time soap opera style, like Grey’s Anatomy. The show, created by Carlton Cuse, has the perfect blend of personal storylines while incorporating fast-paced, high-stakes medical drama reminiscent of NBC’s classic ER.
However, the series does miss some deeper emotional moments when it comes to their professional jobs. For instance, there isn’t an ER episode like “Love’s Labor Lost.” Yet, Pulse excels in melodramatic storytelling, focusing on how personal relationships affect professional lives. I’m not sure the series will have Doug Ross and Carol Hathaway’s all-encompassing romance, but this series has a beat on classic entries.
Netflix’s Pulse Season 1 Review and Synopsis
The series follows Danielle “Danny” Simms (Fitzgerald), a third-year resident of Emergency Medicine at Maguire Hospital, Miami’s most prestigious hospital. Danny is running for Chief of Emergency Medicine, a position from which her former mentor, Xander Phillips (The Continental’s Colin Woodell), has recently stepped down.
Danny’s best friend, Sam (The Boys’ Jessie T. Usher), is also up for the promotion. However, they are informed that Danny has been given the coveted spot on the eve of Hurricane season, making her first day as acting Chief stressful. However, there is more to the story. For one, Phillips is beloved by his peers but stepped down after a human resources complaint about his behavior.
Netflix’s Pulse is An Insanely Addictive Binge!
It turns out Danny, after encouragement from her sister, Harper (Me‘s Jessy Yates), a second-year Emergency Medicine resident at Maguire, encouraged her to file the complaint. What was so bad that Danny had to file a complaint against her former mentor? Most of the season is dedicated to that, but I’ll give you three guesses—though you’ll only need one.
The series certainly has a live wire, dropping the audience in the middle of a hurricane that lasts for the first handful of episodes. The action and suspense never let up, as Fitzgerald’s Danny has to navigate her personal and professional life in the middle of one of the worst storms in the city’s history. The tension is palpable, the story is addictive, and the chemistry between the leads has a scorching Miami heat.
Is Netflix’s Pulse Season 1 Worth Watching?
However, make no mistake, the show is worth watching because of Fitzgerald. So great in last year’s stunner, Strange Darling, she brings empathy, humility, and strength to the role, taking the audience on a rollercoaster ride of emotions through the season’s wildly entertaining ten episodes. Fitzgerald is a star with an incredible future ahead of her.
There may be better medical dramas on television from a realistic standpoint. Yet, this Netflix stream dream tells a good story, has a handful of good performances, and constantly keeps the plot points humming from start to finish. Yes, this certainly will not reinvent the wheel, but in today’s overwrought landscape of streaming options, Pulse keeps the blood pumping.
All eight episodes were screened for critics. You can stream Pulse only on Netflix starting April 3rd!
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